Sean McVay has fiery response to criticism of Matthew Stafford, vehemently defends Rams QB
Matthew Stafford
Sean McVay
Cameron DaSilva
American football coach
After throwing just four interceptions in his first eight games with the Rams, Matthew Stafford has now thrown five in his last three games – including three pick-sixes. He hasn't completed more than 65% of his passes in any of those games and his accuracy as a whole has declined significantly, missing receivers and throwing behind them far too often.
He's a big reason the Rams are currently on a three-game losing streak, falling further and further behind the Cardinals in the NFC West. After losing to the Packers on Sunday, the Rams now sit at 7-4, two full games back of Arizona and looking nothing like the team they were in the first eight weeks.
Yet, Sean McVay isn't going to point any fingers at his quarterback – or any other players, for that matter. After the game in Green Bay, McVay was asked about how he previously called out Jared Goff for his poor play in 2020 and at what point he would do the same with Stafford.
He gave as passionate a response as he ever has in a press conference, forcefully defending his quarterback and expressing complete confidence in Stafford.
"What are you trying to – listen, this is a team game, all right? I'm not interested in revisiting the past and some of the things that haven't always gone the way that we've wanted to," McVay said. "There's a lot of different snaps, there's a lot of things that he's done at a high level. When you want to just isolate those individual plays, of course we want to be able to play better. It's not always exclusively on him. We've got a guy that's got great ownership, I've got great confidence in this guy and I'm not gonna sit here and criticize our players. I'm gonna be able to look at it, try to say, 'Hey, here's where we can fix it, here's where we can correct it' and that's where I feel like my job is as a coach. I don't mean to get upset, but this is a very important thing to all of us. I have total confidence and belief in Matthew Stafford and I think the narrative – everyone wants to throw out six turnovers, all of those have a totally different story and not all of those are his fault. This is a great team game. We're gonna stay connected. There's a lot of things that I get frustrated because I feel responsible for some of those spots that our players are in and I want to do better for them as well. So that's why you get me stirred up a little bit but I don't ever mean to feel like if my tone is in a disrespectful manner, I apologize for that."
McVay has backed Stafford from Day 1 since the Rams acquired him from the Lions. He didn't have to defend him much in the first eight weeks because it was smooth sailing for Los Angeles, but in recent weeks, Stafford has come under sharp criticism from both fans and analysts who are unimpressed by his play.
McVay hasn't done him many favors with his play calling and heavy reliance on empty backfields, which is why he's so frustrated with the way the Rams have played recently. He feels responsible for some of the inconsistency, as he should.
That doesn't mean he's ridding his players of all blame because he knows the turnovers have to stop.
"We've got to stop with some of these self-inflicted wounds. That's gonna continue to be a focus and concentration for us and expect to start to see some results and that's what we've got to be able to see," he said.
The Rams host the Jaguars next week, which should be a get-right game for McVay's team. But if they keep playing the way they have in their last three, Jacksonville will have a fighting chance at SoFi Stadium.
Bulls' Alex Caruso returns, offers masterclass in impacting winning
Making his first appearance since Dec. 20, Alex Caruso made his presence felt in ways that transcended the box score for the Bulls.